Dog sledding competition in January
This exciting event passes through Les Gets. Over 300 dogs spend over 5 days racing through the snowy landscape in what is considered to be the most challenging race of its kind. The trainers are amongst the best in the world and so big crowds and lots of media attention are anticipated!
JM and Rhona from the very popular fish and chip, wrap, pizza and noodle restaurant Mamma’s in Morzine have taken over the Boomerang in Les Gets. They are going to open a restaurant much like Mammas there as well as a tapas cum wine bar. We have high hopes for the wine bar, as the Boomerang is well placed and has been an incredibly popular place for locals and holidaymakers alike in past years.
There will be another new wine bar a few steps down the road from the supermarkets, in the space previously occupied by a t-shirts and sweets shop. This shop was once run by a local as a very successful restaurant.
The restaurant La Remize is under new management, as is the Flambeau. Both of these have been perennial favourites with the Getoise and look like they will continue to provide a mix of the Savoyard specialities we all love and some slightly more haute cuisine dishes.
Just a few steps away from the foot of the slopes and the centre of town is a new all-glass, circular bar. This is called Ba Bar, owned by the Belle Alpe hotel and will surely prove a hot spot for après ski drinks.
The Dublin Inn, no doubt annoyed by several years of confusion with the Irish Bar, is going to change its name to JC’s Sports Bar. The kitchen is to be run by the chaps behind A&D, a popular fast food restaurant in Morzine.
The Bar Bush, a fab little bar with a great atmosphere, and a real favourite of the Brits happily remains unchanged.
Some great restaurants remain unchanged too, and provide superb food: the Tyrol, the Choucas and the Tourbillon. The stand-out winner for us however is L’Outa, which provides great atmosphere in its high-end wine bar, and the zenith of Les Gets food in its modern-French restaurant.
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He and his faithful elves live together in their grotto, a log cabin in the middle of the enchanted forest high above the village……. Don’t miss! Santa’s grotto : On the 10th of December and from the 17th to the 30th of December (except the 24th of December). Father Christmas gazette: Every day the adventures of Father Christmas are reported in the free newspaper that you can pick up throughout the village. Stories, adventures, surprises and secrets will all feature together with details on where you might encounter Father Christmas; collecting his post, on the roof tops or maybe on the ski slopes… Chance encounters in the village: On the 10th of December and the 17th to the 30th of December, you may be lucky enough to meet Father Christmas and his elves on the streets of Les Gets as they go about their Christmas business. Father Christmas communication center springs to life for a while, the sweet garden is especially well tended and the Mechanical Music Museum becomes his base. So… keep you eyes open, you never know where he will appear. Workshops with the elves: The elves are particularly hard at work as the end of the year approaches, so that everyone can really enjoy their holiday in the mountains. On certain days they organise creative workshops for children or make delicious local specialities for you to sample in the village square. Don’t miss these special events which are great fun for friends and family. Local Christmas parties: Join residents across the Les Gets area to celebrate Christmas, Savoyard style! On the 19th of December, the residents of Les Perrières invite you to sample local specialities and join them in a glass of mulled wine, while you admire their traditional local skills. On the 21st of December join the residents of La Turche for a vibrant local evening. A warm welcome and a great atmosphere are guaranteed.
Les Gets Golf Course has just been awarded the ISO 14001 environmental certificate, making it the third organisation in Les Gets to achieve the award and the first Golf course in France to win this prestigeous award.
The ISO 14001 is given after an audit that assesses environmental impact and goals for the future. The Sagets lift company received the certificate in 2008, with the Les Gets Tourist Office gaining theirs in 2010.
Les Gets is constantly looking at ways to improve the environment and has introduced projects such as free public transport, local businesses fuelled by geothermal energy, pocket ashtrays to reduce littering on the mountains, biodegradable oil in snow grooming vehicles and so on.
Alpine Pearls was set up to help people enjoy holidays in an ‘environmentally conscious fashion’. In fact it’s both a cultural and environmental initiative. So far only 20 communities have qualified and earned the right to call themselves an Alpine Pearl. Les Gets is one of these 20 communities.
A Pearl must have the means of getting people to the resort without using a gas guzzling car. The railway station is only 22 km away from Les Gets village. There is also a regular and reliable bus link direct to resort. To be a Pearl a resort must also have a car-free area so that people can explore by foot or on electric bicycle. Two shuttle buses and a mini railway link up the village of Les Gets and, in the centre of the village, there is now a new pedestrian zone allowing visitors to enjoy the village undisturbed. There is also direct access to the ski area with limitless pistes and off pistes through Alpine forests and fir trees.
Alpine Pearls also supports local culture and cuisine, traditions and cooking, ensuring that all their Peals offer regional cuisine and delicacies for even the pickiest gourmet! You can book your holidays through Alpine Pearls who offer logistical solutions for the environmentally conscientious and recommendations for environmentally friendly enterprises. They also work in conjunction with resorts ensuring no stone remains unturned in terms of becoming environmentally conscientious and sustainable.
Alpine Peals have rated Les Gets as being able to offer an ‘environmentally conscious yet care-free holiday in the most superb Alpine village’. We are 100% in agreement. Les Gets is untouched by urban development. To see some of the traditional Savoyard chalets and apartments currently for sale click here – www.alpineangels.net
To find out more about the Alpine Pearl initiative and their thoughts on Les Gets click here – http://alpine-pearls.com/alpine_pearls/live/ap_navi/powerslave,id,45,nodeid,45,_language,en.html
The Les Gets fait son Farwest is a festival organised to celebrate Western Horse Riding disciplines and all things Western. With Barrel racing, pole bending, a horse show and live Country music (with western dance) you would be forgiven for thinking you are in Arizona, USA. However Les Gets, and the Portes du Soleil, are incredibly proud of their equestrian facilities with horse riding one of the most popular summertime activities. For more information on the Les Get event please visit their facebook page. It’s the first event of its kind and is definitely worthy of our support.
www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=116375471721430&ref=share
Les Gets is one of our most popular areas. For a list of Les Gets properties available to buy please click here – http://alpineangels.net/alpine-properties/portes-du-soleil_R1/les-gets_L16/
If riding a Harley Davidson is your idea of heaven on earth, or big American cars, er, float your boat … then Les Gets is the place for you in July. On 2nd – 4th they are running their free mountain rally which includes an open meeting for Harley Davidson riders from all over the world and masses of big ole American vehicles. The event has something for everyone with Quad bikes available for hire, a free style show, lots of concerts and music and also a ‘Green Motorbikes’ presentation. This event, and the Portes du Soleil in general, has been steadily growing in popularity with the Harley Davidson community and this year’s event is building on an already successful formula.
Les Gets is one of the most beautiful areas we cover. For more details on properties available in Les Gets click here – http://alpineangels.net/alpine-properties/portes-du-soleil_R1/les-gets_L16/
For more event information click here – http://www.lesgets.com/en/agenda0/nc/index.html
Running for its fifth year is this highly original event. On the surface it appears to be yet another Freestyle ski and snowboard competition but the spectacular sporting event not only attracts advanced riders but is based on a concept of combining snowsports with graphic arts and music. The event culminates with a big night show in the village square and is really worth a visit.
http://www.ebouelle-contest.com/accueil.html
Alpine property: http://ww.alpineangels.net
Portes du Soleil – La Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc
Sadly the Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc has now drawn to a close. Since the first event in January 2005, La Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc has been the most difficult international sled-dog race in the world, and the most spectacular. Les Portes du Soleil has always had the privilege of welcoming 25 of the best mushers in the world, along with their Alaskan and Siberian huskies, and hosting them as they cover more than 800 km of Savoie and Haute Savoie mountains. They climb more than 25,000 meters through some of our favorite destinations in the massifs of this Franco-Swiss region including Megève, Avoriaz, Morzine and Les Gets. In excess of 100,000 spectators now come to watch the event. As well as the incredible dog-sleds they also offer an assortment of entertainment and events from giant tartiflettes (my personal favorite), nordic activities, themed weeks, exhibitions, igloo construction and dog sledding for beginners. If you missed it this year make sure you put it in the diary for 2011
http://www.alpineangels.net
If you decide to take some time off the pistes or you are not a snow sports fanatic and fancy getting in touch with your creative side then Les Gets offers a selection of brilliant workshops around the ski resort. We have picked a few of our favourites for you to try.
Poterie Element-terre
This pottery workshop not only showcases a wide variety of decorative and useful creations made on-site by Anouk the potter but also offers FREE shaping and glazing demonstrations every Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. (10 people max). The workshop/shop is open all year round but we think booking is advisable.
Winter hours: 9 a.m. to 12 noon and 4 to 7 p.m.
Closed Sundays and Mondays
Tel: 00 33 (0) 6 82 58 28 40
anoukbonhomme74@yahoo.fr
Wooden Doves Workshop
If you don’t want to make a wooden dove then look away now…
Pierre Chaix organises this original workshop where he teaches the public how to make …. traditional wooden doves. In Savoyard tradition doves are a sign of good luck and protection and can be found at marriages, baptisms and in private houses (for example hanging over a new-born baby’s cradle). His workshops last 3 hours, are completely free and run every Tuesday afternoon at 2 p.m (except during French School holidays). You’ll have a beautiful souvenir to take home from the mountains.
“Les Bambinis des Bois” Workshop
I know we normally ask our kids not to play with saws, scissors and all things sharp but at this carpentry workshop it actively encourages. Carpentry requires dexterity and creativity and children can try their hand at sawing in a straight line, drilling a hole in a specific place and making their own wooden objects. A pleasant educative activity for all budding young carpenters!
Once a week, from 3 to 6 p.m., under the VERY watchful eyes of a professional
www.alpineangels.net